Owens Community College ushered in 2010 by unveiling a newly renovated $2.6 million Founders Hall building.

In addition to providing educational opportunities for thousands of students, Founders Hall (formerly known as the Penta Career Center Administration Building) will serve as the new home to the college’s departments of English, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Communications, Humanities and Languages, as well as the dean for the School of Arts and Sciences.

The newly renovated 29,045 square-foot Founders Hall building is situated at the south end of the Toledo-area Campus, which formerly served as home to the Penta Career Center.

The building features Owens’ signature black logo as well as an expansive red wall lettered with an array of inspirational swords, including Success, Learning, Leadership, Collaboration, Opportunity, Excellence, Innovation and Service.

Located at the center of Founders Hall, the commons area – designed as the heart of student activity in the educational building – is highlighted by an open-air atrium where students will have the opportunity to relax, study or access the Internet between classes.

An expansive glass skylight atop the atrium ceiling allows sunlight into the educational building.
 Founders Hall features eight classrooms, two computer classrooms and one open computer laboratory, all with state-of-the-art technology and academic resources. Each classroom is equipped with innovative multi-media capability highlighted by the college’s first-ever dedicated instructor stations where Owens faculty can utilize an Extron Control Panel system. Serving as the classroom’s focal point from a technological standpoint, the Extron Control Panel system features a dedicated computer within the podium, a digital document camera, a Blu-ray DVD Player and audio amplifier and speakers.

Academic classrooms also have ceiling-mounted digital/analog and high-definition capable projectors and eight-foot electronic screens. The computer laboratories feature the latest in computing resources.

The educational center also features 65 offices, four conference rooms, an expansive employee lounge and men’s and women’s restroom facilities. In addition, Founders Hall includes three interactive learning labs where students can meet one-on-one or in a small-group setting with peers, tutors and/or instructors.

Designed with energy efficiency and conservation in mind, each room’s bank of lights automatically power down after a period of time without detected movement. Additional windows and light wells were included to reduce the necessity for some electric lighting and to allow more natural light into the complex.

The entire facility includes building automation heating and air conditioning as well as wireless Internet access. Infrastructure was also added to the existing building for future looping and sharing of district heating. 

The building was designed by Poggemeyer Design Group Inc. of Bowling Green. Mosser Construction Inc. of Fremont served as the general contractor, and Mondo Mechanical Co. of Toledo; Helm and Associates Inc., of Maumee; Northwest Electrical Contractor, of Holland, and Absolute Fire Protection Inc., of Perrysburg, oversaw the plumbing, mechanical, electrical and fire protection contracts, respectively.

Owens purchased the former Penta Career Center, located adjacent to the college’s Toledo-area Campus, in 2008 for $6 million. The purchase included 56.38 acres of land, as well as approximately 325,530 square feet of classrooms, offices, educational laboratories and parking lots.

In addition to the recently completed Founders Hall renovation project, the college is currently refurbishing Heritage Hall at the former Penta Career Center as part of Owens’ ongoing campus expansion initiative. Once completed in the summer of 2010, the first phase of Heritage Hall will serve as the new home for the School of Business and Information Systems and the School of Nursing.

In September 1965, Owens opened its doors as Penta County Technical Institute, the first technical institute in Ohio, an enrollment of more than 200 students. Seven years later, the college officially adopted the name of The Michael J. Owens Technical College (now Owens Community College).

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